I would like to make pleated crepe paper streamers. According to the book that I saw the idea in, I need a pleating foot for my sewing machine. When I looked it up, everyone was referring to it as a Ruffling foot. For the streamers, you place three or four on top of each other then sew with this special foot down the center. After you accomplish that, you pull the streamer edges apart and it makes festooning.
I don’t sew very much. I was thinking about looking on eBay for a used one. Should I get one? Or just ruffle by hand since I’m not going to be wearing it and it’s a decoration?
It would depend on how much you would use it. I avoid buying a tool or attachment unless I have multiple uses for it. If you search YouTube for things like “Making pleats with a fork” or easy ways to make ruffles or pleats, you will find many options.
If you are just ruffling, I’d do it by hand unless you are doing miles of it! Certainly, an attachment would make it faster…if it works. But balance cost, time, and usefulness.
You could just scrunch it up as you sew, making little folds as you go. Or zig-zag over a string (never catching the string) then pull the string to ruffle it up. Be sure to secure one end of the string, I did this once and pulled the string right out!
I hadn’t ever thought of this, so I went a-googling.
shows how to machine ruffle it without a ruffle foot.
Spoiler: you adjust the tension.
Nitpick: that is NOT the “strongest tension setting,” as she says in the video. Tightest, maybe, but that makes it weaker. And that is what makes it ruffle, so use it anyway!
I have used my (cheap generic-brand) ruffler foot-- once-- for something I was doing with fine tulle for a costume for my kid when she was tiny. And it was very satisfying to use, but not exactly a household staple.
